


Cold seeps in, ice forms from water, and snow falls instead of rain

by TFALokiwriter



Category: Ark II (TV)
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Canon, Winter Solstice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:41:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29669508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFALokiwriter/pseuds/TFALokiwriter
Summary: Fagon and his lads have their first winter at grid 7 and 14 (also known as Sector 9 Area 42).





	Cold seeps in, ice forms from water, and snow falls instead of rain

**Author's Note:**

> Tick, Sneaker, and Rocky are canonical names from Ark II for the three members of the Flies lead by Fagon

"Winter is coming."

That was the only comment that came from Rocky as the group were shivering in the wooden hut that had been assembled over the month with some of the walls made of clay that kept each log in place. Pieces of cloth kept the windows sealed tucked into the long thin fine long holes in the side with pieces of stick that pierced through the cloth into the material that supported the frame of the window.

"Close the damn door, my boy!" Fagon shouted. "You are letting out the warm air!"

With a slam, the door was closed behind Ahmir.

"Oh, thank God!" Tick exclaimed in relief as Ahmir sat down beside Sneaker and proceeded to eat his snack. 

They didn't have electricity just warm clothing that had been made by stitching after being taught by the locals once the idea of rummaging through the land for clothing was no longer a option. Fagon and his children bore a collective sigh once the door closed. They were all tired from a day of playing and lazying around and doing relatively minor little with a well enough supply to last them for the upcoming month.

"Looks like we have to harvest some food." Tick noted.

"Yes, yes, indeed." Fagon said, grimly. "We have to do a lot of hunting and count sticks and collect them."

"Who's up for collecting sticks?" Tick asked.

"I am!" The children cheered.

"Come on, everyone!"

* * *

The first sign of winter arriving came in the form of light snow that fell about for half a hour and the cold allowed it to stick to the ground. The lads and Fagon were donning in their winter gear made from fur of what they had killed in the months leading up to the first sign of winter. It had started gradually with the temperatures dipping at night that worked its way up into the morning. The young men and young boys were all cluttered together surrounding the large pot.

Fagon got up, reluctantly, then his spot was gone in little less than a minute with the group adjusting their seating and getting closer together to remain warm. He slid on his new fur coat with a hood made of rare Muskox wool, his new hat that was made of fur, then proceeded to leave much to the boy's shriek, "Close the door!" and he quickly closed it putting a big rock on to the bottom of the cloth. He turned away then followed the group of villagers heading on for the winter meeting that had been stipulated on a month ago in the last meeting how to divide up the harvest and when to prepare for next year.

Sneaker and Tick tagged along behind Fagon who paid little attention to himself and what was ahead with little concern of being followed and his hood was up over his head. Fagon joined the villagers in a large group with his hands in his sleeves humming to himself a old song beneath the very cold temperature. The two boys followed him to the meeting place that was at a dead end at a valley with improvised seating scattered all over the place and other people just as warmly dressed as he were. The boys hid behind a large boulder keeping themselves close enough to hear in what was going on.

"Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, this meeting is in session."

There was silence for a long moment.

"We're having a community meeting as the weather is getting colder and we must decide as a village where we must do immediately."

Fagon was in the back, safely out of leadership, but still very much part of the decision making as part of a land owner. The system was quite unique for that matter when it came to the village, Fagon was aware of it. Most villages like this one uprooted themselves during winter and moved to warmer climate, just as many times before, so he stretched his arms and yawned. It was all but quite a breeze that Fagon was riding as he enjoyed the normal that he had become used to and lived in.

There was a new chief for the village that had opted to change leaders after having been listening to one who had believed in a false god and himself, believed, he would believe in another false one again should the situation arise and didn't wish to be the instigator of a needless conflict. The matter was quite mutual to have solved among the people and so quite simple that there wasn't much conflict over the change of leadership, nor grumbles about having the longest one leaving, it went around smoother than it had in previous villages that Fagon had lived in.

"Raise your hands if you want to go to the warmer area." The chief, Chrysanthemum, announced.

To Fagon's shock, no one raised their hands.

"Who wants _not_ to go?" Chrysanthemum asked.

Everyone's hands save for Fagon raised.

"Madame--but---this is winter! Why not leave?" Fagon balked, stunned yet confused. "Winter is hardly good in areas like these!"

"We have the proper equipment to live in this area as do you, Fagon." Chrysanthemum replied as her green eyes met his blue ones.

Fagon cleared his throat then nodded.

"I do." Fagon agreed.

"But?" Chrysanthemum lifted her bushy eyebrows.

"My place isn't big enough to house all of the children." Fagon protested.

"How many do you have now? Didn't you have eight when you came?"

"Yes, there was eight children." Fagon confirmed with a nod. "Sixteen. . . for now."

The rest of the villagers groaned in realization as it all hit them that when the children had said, "I am not the person you're looking for" they really meant that as most of the new children were blondes just as the ones that were already there with few children that had dark hair. Two of the villagers were laughing, throwing their heads back, crying in the mist of the revelation.

"How many blondes can he possibly have?"

"They all look alike!"

"Stop collecting children!"

"Seriously!"

"That's just wrong!"

"Why, I have no control over them!" Fagon insisted. "Nor do I have control over the magnetic like attraction my crowd gathers when it comes to children."

"You do have control over letting them join you!" one of the villagers replied.

"I have A IMAGE to maintain!" he turned toward the source of the voice with a glare.

"Crazy old child collector?" the villager who had spoken before Fagon asked, bewildered.

"Turning them away? Potential allies?" he snapped his fingers. "Gone like that?" he lowered his hand. "We need to be united or else we are doomed to die alone and I have no intention of dying that way."

"Got your little own village around your little finger, don't you?" The villager squinted back at Fagon.

"I never want to be alone and neither do you."

The comment silenced the villager.

"You can house five of them." Chrysanthemum spoke up.

Fagon scowled in return to the response that Chrysanthemum gave him.

"But setting up a different building? Dividing our rations? Splitting everything in half?"

"Winter is only 90 days." Chrysanthemum was visibly becoming annoyed.

"90 days a child can starve to death." His tone was full of anger and stiffness.

"Then have the youngest children with you and let the oldest stay in another room. I don't see the problem here."

"They crave socialization with each other, they require a hand in cooking, the proper tools---they wouldn't survive winter apart!"

The whole problem was now evident.

"Then we'll vote on that about what to do with them."

"That's fine." Was the response.

"Raise your hands for if you wish to send them out as slaves."

Something within Fagon _snapped_.

 _ **"AS SLAVES?**_ "

Fagon stood up to his feet, outraged, roaring.

"They're children! They deserve to be FREE! They deserve to have a CHILDHOOD! They deserve to PLAY! They deserve not to have their water intake LIMITED! They're children, their self-worth at this point is so easily changed with the views of adults---"

"You've used them to make your farm!" Was the argument in return by another member of the village.

"I let them take breaks in the shade! I let them drink water when they need to! I let them eat! I discipline them! I make sure they in the best condition there is to work!" Fagon argued, insistently, yet passionately for the children. "That is the difference between being a worker **AND BEING A SLAVE**."

"Employers have more room to keep groups together, you said so yourself, they crave socialization." Chrysanthemum countered back.

Fagon started to open his mouth then closed it, regretfully.

"Sit down and let us do the voting." Fagon seated himself. "Now, previous question."

A alarming number raised their hands but not enough.

"The nays have it." Certain relief fell off Fagon. "Raise your hands to exile them."

Only a few raised their hands, Fagon included but very quite pained by his own action.

"The nays have it." Fagon looked toward the other villagers as the chief observed them all. "Then, we have no choice but to vote on sending them to the cave of no return."

"Sir. . ."

"Yes, Fagon?"

"I like to be included, if this vote sends them in there. . . then so do I."

"Then it's decided, we'll vote on that."

Fagon sucked in a breath as the vote was started, he voted yes. Everyone voted yes on the issue. It was decided unanimously on that matter that befell the children and their overall fate. Sneaker and Tick left the meeting without as much making a sound. Fagon lowered his head then trudged out of the meeting area much to his reluctance with his shoulders slumped and sighed making his way back to the village quite slowly.

* * *

Fagon looked at the hut -- a place of permanence and stability -- then back at the cavern that had more room and decorations. The villagers had left for warmer climate, yet, he didn't want to leave. The cold was going to leave and the warm temperature was going to return in a few short months.

Fagon grimaced over the matter that fell before him at first with the consequences of the meeting right ahead of him. After a long while, he walked toward the house with confidence of what was going to be in store for the future yet he paused in front of the doorway observing the large rock was gone and the improvised door made of fabric was blowing in the wind. Alarm bells sounded off in his head, frantically, as he stood there frozen terrified of what he would find inside.

He entered the small hut, called out "Tick?", gazed from side to side "Rocky?", "Sneaker?" in the mist of shock finding the interior was completely empty for the first time in several months. It was stunning to see not a sight of the familiar group that housed with him. There was nothing there, just the smoldering center of what had been the place where they were cooking soup for the last several days and heating it up after awhile. The memories were now a piece of nostalgia with the absence of the children.

Every compartment that the children had negotiated themselves into was empty, even the bunks that had been modified into the wall, every corner had nothing. Nothing was there. _Everything_ was gone save for his personal possessions. The children had abandoned him for his vote to exile them all. A fact that didn't escape him regarding the choice that would have been more merciful and ideal to send them somewhere warm instead of a cave but apparently they didn't like it. Non-surprisingly, it made Fagon cry at his situation.

They had given him the cold shoulder that was in the form of ice, blankets of snow, and shivers that were only known by one person. Cold was going to be his company for the foreseeable future. Complete silence that normally followed winter in safe and warm area without company; it would be a very cold winter despite not being outside of the cave. The cold would get under his skin, into his mind, cause his whole being to freeze even his heart and crack then after summer melt revealing a cracked man.

No games, no singing to pass the time, no telling stories to pass the time--these were things that he were looking forward toward at the back of his mind. He was completely and utterly; alone. Just as he had been in the beginning. He wasn't ever going to be used to losing people, perhaps not ever, with his decision making. Trying to do good by the children and losing them in the process, it was a difficult matter to reconcile over.

Fagon packed his belongings from the closet including his newly made summer clothing was dangling on improvised hangars clenched to a beam. He folded and shoved and sat down on the top of the luggage until it clicked then he sighed in relief that it was over. The struggle, the hardship, and the difficulty getting what he wanted. It was all a relief that he had gotten it done. Fagon counted the bundles of sticks that the children had left behind then picked them up one at a time and set it into his pockets.

His current coat was a replacement for the mink coat that had fallen apart before winter. It had fallen before the new winter coat were made as the old one was falling into disrepair, shambles, and unable to be repaired. Just as his life had become. Being alone during winter at the one place that was prosperous during the warmer months was the most reason why he had to stay--Fagon felt that it were a fitting punishment that he just deserved.

* * *

Alone to his thoughts, Fagon departed his hut after taking out the cloth for the window and the doorway with the large rock set at the corner of the small building. He freed the horses from every bit of control that he used them for numerous tasks before winter came then made a scene sending them away and watched them flee into the sparkling scenery ahead of him. He watched until they shrunk, loudly shrieking, as his means of transportation were gone. 

He sighed then made his way on with his belongings in hand. The cave of no return grew large and larger with each step that he took forward crunched the snow beneath his boots was one that terrified him and brought dread getting closer to the cave of no return. It was not just the cave of no return, it was the cave of no return to what once had been in his mind, just the beginning of having to walk alone until company got trapped in his orbit through one way or another, he could always search for them when summer arrived and come back home. The sudden thought of home nearly made him halt in his tracks.

It had been easily been months since he had called one place a home and hadn't bothered leaving it. With another sigh, Fagon made his way into the cave system descending in further away from the cold breeze and newly falling snow all the while shaking off the snow that stuck to his boots. He went in deep into the cave system then noticed there were visible signs of lighting up ahead of him. Someone else got the same idea. Might as well enjoy the company that he was being given in light of this cold winter and the idea of companionship warmed his iced and snow covered heart thawing off some of it.

Fagon went in further through the chamber until he came to the source of the flickering source of the fire and discovered the children were inside of the chamber scattered all over the place and he stood there, dumbstruck, teary eyed, spotting the whole crowd of children in the chamber that left some space to move around and the chamber felt small instead of large as it was in reality.

"Hey, Fagon is here!" One of the children announced.

"About time you got here!" Tick said as he dusted his hands off with his back against the wall.

"I took longer than expected because someone forgot to pack my belongings," Fagon said. "Oh dear, what happened to the rest of you? There was sixteen the rest I looked; not twelve."

"They're too afraid of caves is all and went to find warmer climate," Tick shrugged.

"Not me!" Tadpole exclaimed.

"Me either!" Ahmir agreed.

"And I!" Rocky chimed.

"Me as well!" Sneaker said.

The rest of the eight that had gone with Fagon to the new village chimed as well so the older man proceeded to grin.

"I was just about to go down the tunnel and search for areas that had insects to serve as food if we run out of meat before winter ends, Master Fagon." Tick gestured toward the tunnel with his thumb. 

Fagon looked on toward the tunnel then toward Tick and nodded.

"One moment, my dear boy." Fagon chose his place among the large crowd with his belongings seated then joined Tick and set his arm along the boy's shoulder. "We have some spelunking to do!" He laughed then they proceeded to go out. "Rocky, stay behind with the other children and mind the shop!"

And Sneaker followed with a makeshift bag lagging behind them, closely. 

For the first time in years, Fagon had company and it was the best of many winters ahead.


End file.
